Ever since
I read the post about thrifting on Shoppr (shoutout to
Ming and Lulla for coming up with that post and getting me into the whole
thrifting habit!) I decided to see for myself if the Malaysian thrifting scene
is any good. Because, why spend so much money on high waisted shorts when the
same things can be found in thrift shops? High waisted items were all the rage
in the past too, anyways. Honestly, the thrift shops in Malaysia are pretty
mediocre compared to the ones in the Western countries (if the videos I watch
online on Youtube are accurate), but there are definitely gems to be spotted if
you look closely enough! I even brought a few of my friends to thrift with me
and they weren’t disappointed as well. If you know me, I’m always on the lookout
for great steals and I simply just love looking good on a budget, hence the Taobao
craze that I went through (and still am going through, pst!) I’ve been getting
a few questions about thrifting on my Ask.fm and I thought to myself, why not
make a full fledged blogpost giving you guys some tips and tricks on how to
score great thrift finds on your own!! Did this catch your attention yet? Read
on if you’re interested to find out!

1) ALWAYS KNOW YOUR WAIST SIZE

This is essential when it comes to buying bottoms. I know a lot of people who
don’t even know their waist size! Baffling, isn’t it? The bottoms in the thrift
shops have the waist sizes written on the tags, and knowing your own waist size
makes shopping for bottoms 100% easier.

2) IF YOU LOVE IT, TAKE IT
If you spot anything that catches your eye, JUST GRAB IT and put it inside your
shopping basket, or else you might never find it again. This happened to me
once before, I was contemplating buying a top but forwent it in the end and the
next time I headed to the thrift shop, I couldn’t find it anymore. Sobs.

The two items which I never saw anymore.

3)DON'T JUDGE A CLOTHING ITEM BY HOW IT LOOKS ON THE HANGER
Seriously, even if a piece of clothing item looks horrendous on the hanger, it
might look different once you’ve tried it on! I’ve encountered this many times
when a top looked horrible hung up but paired with different clothing items it
actually looked pretty good!

4)GET CREATIVE
Always think of ways of how you can customize your pieces. Can you cut a pair
of denim jeans to become shorts? Can you DIY a pair of ripped jeans? Can you
take in a skirt that’s too big? Let your imagination run wild, fashion shouldn’t
be constricting.

5) BE PATIENT
There are rows and rows of racks with clothes on them that require quite some
time to go through and you don’t wanna miss out on a great steal. For you girls
with impatient boyfriends, it’s probably best to leave them at home with their
PS4’s this time round. I personally prefer shopping alone as I find it really
stress releasing and therapeutic. Just pop on your earphones, put your favorite
playlist on and you’re good to go!

6)DRESS DOWN
Trust me on this, wear simple outfits when you go thrifting. The first time I
ever went thrifting I wore a maxi dress that had a zip and it was horrible to
change in and out of. I say, opt for a short dress or a tank top with
leggings/shorts. You definitely want to prioritize comfort and easy
accessibility when you’re trying on dozens of clothes.

7)EXPLORE & EXPERIMENT
There can be really great finds in the men’s and children’s section as well, so
don’t be scared to go through the racks there. I personally have found really
nice flannels (the real kinds of flannels, not thin cotton shirts with checkers
on them) in the men’s and jackets in the little boys’ sections.

8)CHECK BEFORE YOU CHECKOUT
This is really really important when you’re buying preloved items. Check for
any stains, loose threads, missing buttons and broken zips. You don’t want to
end up buying an item without checking only to realize that you’ve actually
burnt money on some bad quality pieces.9)CASH ONLYThrift stores are nowhere near the Zara, Forever 21 and H&M retailers that
we’re used to. Most of the time these shops are located in little shoplots and
are really simple loo

king, so it’s highly unlikely that they have a credit card
machine for you to swipe

10) HAVE FUN!!
Fashion is all about exploring and experimenting with the different styles and
outfits you can put together. If you’re one to always wear floral dresses, try
putting together an edgy outfit! You never know whether you’re able to pull it
off or not. Ultimately, fashion should be about feeling good in your clothes so
take all the time you need, there’s no time constraint!

WHERE I THRIFT AT

Family Bundle,

21, Jalan Ampang,

68000 Ampang, Selangor, Malaysia

I hope these little pointers are able to help you guys one way or another, let
me know if you’d like some more of these thrift posts, I’m thinking of
showcasing the pieces I thrifted through lookbooks or something, how does that
sound! Happy Thrifting!

ABOUT

Camillia Lim, 21, Kuala Lumpur.

Your not-so-average girl next door with big city dreams whose tomboy side emerges way too often. An aspiring PR exec/journalist. Thought-provoking conversations, future bass, hip-hop & R&B, taking nice photographs, discovering more about people, a palate for good (& preferably cheap!) food, a productive sweat sesh, jetsetting all over the world, and scoring steals on clothes makes me happy. I spend way too much time laughing at memes to myself than I should. I don't think a small column like this is enough to get to know me so why don't you read on!